The present invention relates to a self-propelled machine for the concreting of ditches, of the type comprising a propulsion unit which drives displacement means of the machine and a system for spreading a layer of concrete on the bottom and on the edges of the ditch as the machine advances.
In the field of public works, drainage ditches have to be dug, particularly on either side of roads and freeways. Some of these ditches are then concreted in order to facilitate the flow of water and to prevent them from being furrowed by rainwater and invaded by vegetation.
Machines of the above-mentioned type have been designed for automatically concreting such ditches. These self-propelled machines straddle the ditch and have displacement means, such as wheels or caterpillar bands, which bear and roll on either side of the ditch. In addition to the ditch to be dug, it is thus necessary to clear its surrounding edges in order to lay out thereon the rolling tracks which must be leveled substantially parallel to the bottom of the ditch. The importance of these laying-out works varies according to the nature and the slope of the terrain. Generally, these machines operate very well on terrain which is flat or which has a gentle slope and which is sufficiently clear, but their use is rendered virtually impossible in terrain with a considerable slope and to which access is difficult. Moreover, these machines have above all been designed for performing major works, in particular for the concreting of wide and deep ditches.
The aim of the invention lies in the provision of a self-propelled machine which is particularly suited to the concreting of small narrow ditches and which may be used in undulating terrains where access may be difficult.